The cricket-mad neighbours, who have gone to war three times since independence, share one of the world’s fiercest sporting rivalries and their rare showdowns on the pitch can bring both to a standstill.

Tensions have prevented the two sides from playing each other in Tests for more than a decade, and the match is only happening because the T20 is an International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament.

Television stations ran wall-to-wall pre-match coverage, with India’s NDTV proclaiming the game “do or die for India”, while heavy rain in the eastern city of Kolkata early in the morning caused jitters.

“There’s tension in the air and prayers in the heart,” the Times of India newspaper stated.

In Pakistan, fans said the match was a chance to take revenge for their side’s recent defeat in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, where they lost to India and the hosts.

Only about 120 Pakistan fans are expected to be part of the 66,000-strong crowd, local media said, after the venue switch from Dharamsala to Kolkata disrupted travel plans, with some denied visas at the last minute.

But that did not stop the atmosphere from amping up at home.

“We hope to have a turnout of a couple of thousand spectators at our big screen,” said Faisal Baig of the Port Grand complex in Karachi, Pakistan’s bustling economic hub of 20 million people.

“It feels wonderful to see people from different ethnic and political backgrounds become one nation and it only happens when Pakistan plays India,” he added.

A sign outside the city’s Bambino cinema declared regular movies cancelled as it shows the match instead, while the National Stadium is hosting a public screening.